A1 Artist Spotlight.Com did a phone interview Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad) about his cd For The People. Excerpts of the interview are also in the podcast.
*
Mark Farner was the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist for one of the biggest American rock bands of the seventies, Grand Funk Railroad. Grand Funk Railroad sold 25 million records and played to sold out arenas around the world, they accumulated 17 gold and 11 platinum records. Some of their big songs are “Closer To Home (I’m Your Captain)”, “Mean Mistreater”, “Time Machine”, “Inside Looking Out”, “Footstompin’ Music”, “Rock & Roll Soul”, Walk Like a Man”, “The Loco-Motion”, “Shinin’ On”, “Some Kind of Wonderful”, “Bad Time”, and “We’re An American Band”. In the interview (podcast) I did with Mark Farner he talks about his time in Grand Funk Railroad, but this article is going to deal with his solo record. For more information about Grand Funk Railroad listen to the podcast or go to Mark Farner’s Website.
*

*
Mark Farner’s newest CD is called For the People. He is the self proclaimed Rock Patriot. As a proud citizen of the United States of America, Mark Farner is telling the Americans that there is a big problem going on in this county and you better wake up to it before all your freedoms are taken away. The title track “For the People” and “Where Do We Go From Here” in my opinion should be required listening by all American citizens. These two songs are the most important songs any American can hear this year. If Bob Dylan put these songs out the media would be screaming about what Dylan has written. They’d be telling you in the papers, on the radio, and on TV, “this is the most important song Bob Dylan has written since “The Times They Are A Changing”. Well this may be the most important song since “The Times They Are A Changing”, but Mark Farner The Rock Patriot wrote it, and hardly anyone is playing it. Thanks to Mark Kerr’s Blues Nation podcast, I’ve got to hear the song “For the People”, a lot. What’s wrong with the radio stations? Why have they not taken the time to play these important songs? This is not some guy their listeners have never heard of, this is Mark Farner the man who gave us “I’m Your Captain”, “Footstompin’ Music” and “We’re An American Band”. The leader of Grand Funk Railroad, one of the biggest American bands of all time. The media has ignored this record but you can save the day. Call your local radio station and demand them to play these songs. Mark said the reason he wrote “For the People” is to provoke people to think about where we are as a nation and how we got here. Mark’s tired of the media and the government telling us lies about everything. The war, the oil, the money. Who is really in control of these things? Why are we as a nation doing what the people of America do not want our government to do? Who is really running this country, the government or rich Europeans that control our banks? What ever happened to “by the people and for the people”?
*

*
These are the words to Mark Farner’s song
“For the People”
There’s a ghost in the White House
The memory of a man,
A man who loved his people,
A patriot for this land
But we no longer prosper,
We just try to scrap up the dough,
We can’t even pay the interest
On the money these idiots borrowed,
*
People waking up there’s a question I’ve got to ask,
I want to know what happened to,
All the people, by the people, for the people
We let it slip away to the government,
Money spent, can’t pay the rent,
And it’s just another day in America,
It’s just another day in America,
It’s just another day in America,
Another day back home.
*
Apathy in the people,
Brained washed by TV, …
*
It makes me want to just throw up
When I think about the IRS,
People waking up there’s a question
I’ve got to ask,
*
I want to know what happened to,
All the people,
By the people, for the people
We let it slip away
Too much government, money spent,
Can’t pay the rent,
And it’s just another day in America,
It’s just another day in America,
It’s just another day in America,
Another day back home.
*
Now do these words make sense to you, do you agree with what Mark is saying? Then get out there and call your radio station and demand “For the People” so other people can hear these words.
*
“Cry Baby”: This is about when you had a spat with your wife, and you want to talk to her with out getting smacked in the head with a frying pan. It’s much more palatable in a song than coming right out and saying it.
*
“Same Ol’ Feeling”: This song is about freedom and the love that is in our heart. Our desire to make things better for people around the world despite what our government is doing.
*
“This Time” was performed live for a while and will have a video at http://www.markfarner.com/
Mark’s wife says this song makes her feel a movie is going on.
*
“You’re My Girl” has had some radio play as well as a great guitar solo, that yells that Mark Farner still has it in him.
*

*
“Symptoms” is the wresting match between out spirit and flesh. Mark gave the example of two Indians talking. The father explains there are two wolves inside you, the good wolf and the bad wolf. His son ask which wolf will win, the father says the one you feed. So it is with us. The spirit will only win if we free it.
*
“Where Do We Go From Here” is another very powerful message.
These are just some of the lyrics to the song
*
There’s got to be a reason, I feel so bad inside,
Can anyone else see, we’re a nation facing suicide,
How could they take them, the freedoms that our fathers won.
There’s got to be a reason, it’s not too late to be undone.
We better take a new direction, but Where Do We Go from Here,
I’m thinking about my soul perception, they’ve lied to my people, here
*
I asked Mark if it takes longer to write a song like this with such deep lyrics. He said no, the songs just come as a wave and most get written in less than a half an hour. Mark writes some of his music like “Where Do We Go From Here” on the keyboards. He likes to write songs with other people just to learn more about how to write songs. There is a large back catalog of songs he has written over the years. These songs have never been recorded and may be put out for other artist to record soon.
*
Even though I spent more time talking about the lyrics of the songs, I do not want to skip over the music. “For The People” is a rock anthem song, plenty of guitar and pounding drums. The kind of song that makes you want to get up and pump your fist in the air.
The CD, For The People, has hard rocking songs, rock ballads, love songs like “Nadean”, (a song for his wife), and even some pop rock the could be big hits if the radio stations would just let you hear them. Mark Farner’s guitar playing is as good as ever and his singing is still very soulful. Just because this does not have Don or Mel on it does not mean it cannot sound like Grand Funk Railroad. Even though Mark was just one third of Grand Funk Railroad he was the lead singer, writer, and guitarist for the band. Maybe one third of the members but more like two thirds of what the band was doing. Lawrence Buckner, the bass guitarist, and drummer Hubert Crawford, on this CD, do a great job on their instruments. If you ever liked the sound of Grand Funk Railroad you will love this cd, Mark is moving on up.
*

*
I saw a Mark Farner concert in 2006 he did one hit after another with two or three songs from this CD. The concert was just as good, probably better than when I saw the We’re An American Band tour. The concert had a lot of power and energy, Mark was all over the stage playing better than ever and his voice was in great shape. Mark took time to talk to the audience about the old days of Grand Funk Railroad and what was going on in his life now. He talked about some of the songs he was playing and how they came about. Hearing Mark’s stories was just as important to me as hearing the songs. Halfway through the show I leaned to my wife and said “How is Dave Mason going to top this, he’s doing one big hit after another”. Julie shrugged her shoulders and said, “I don’t know it makes no sense to me.” Now Dave Mason was good when he came out and we in enjoyed his show, but you could tell everyone was there to see Mark Farner. A lot of people stood all the way through Mark’s show then sat the rest of the night. If you have a chance to see the Mark Farner tour this year don’t let it pass you buy. You will really have a good time. Mark and his band put out 100%.
*
The Band is:
Mark Farner – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion
Lawrence Buckner – Bass
Hubert Crawford – Drums
Paul O’Jibway – Keyboards, Sax, Percussion
*
For The People was recorded at the famous “Swamp” where most of the Grand Funk Railroad records were recorded.
* *
On the inside cover it states this is a tribute to:
“The Spirit of Liberty, the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States of America and to the Patriots of this country who are the hope of freedom.”
God bless what’s left of America!”
*
Mark Farner still rocks just as good as ever, don’t miss his tour or the CD For The People. It really does have the two most important songs you will hear this year or next.
*

*
Songs played on the podcast are:
1. Cry Baby
2. For the People
3. Same Ol’ feeling
4. Symptoms
5. Where Do We Go From Here
*
Mark Farner Website
*
Mark Farner MySpace page
*
I’d like to thank Mark Farner for taking the time to be on this show as well as Mark Bowsher for all his work in setting this up.
Mark Bowsher is also the one who gave us this rare photo of Grand Funk Railroad.
From Mark to Mark and Mark, Thank You Very Much.

 

 037 - Mark Farner – From Grand Funk Railroad To The Rock Patriot [41:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download